


Lull

by RamblingMegome



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (They're Married), 14 Days of Eremin, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And Armin's an anime nerd so I have an excuse, Cuddling & Snuggling, Day 14 Prompt: Travel, Domestic Fluff, Eren and Armin are super in love, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mild Language, Pointless Conversation, Pointless fluff, Sleepy Cuddles, Spooning, They're in Japan because that's the only notable place I've been to pfff, Travel, nighttime cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:46:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8740945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RamblingMegome/pseuds/RamblingMegome
Summary: After a long day of sightseeing, Eren and Armin have a peaceful moment together before they fall asleep.
Written for the 14 Days of Eremin - Day 14 prompt: Travel.





	

“God, I'm tired,” Eren groaned as Armin unlocked the door to their room. “I think I've been on more trains today than I have in my whole _life._ ”

“Well, at least we don't have another early morning tomorrow,” Armin replied with a smile. He pocketed the keys, picked up the shopping bags he'd set by his feet, and opened the thin sliding door with a soft rattle. Eren still wasn't used to that. “I'll let you sleep in a little. Not too late, though, I'd like to go visit one of the nearby shrines before we go to that museum...”

Eren followed him into their tiny rented quarters, slipping his shoes off in the entryway – at least he wasn't forgetting to do that anymore. The scandalized looks of staff members had beat that one into him pretty quickly. The matted floor gave slightly under his socks. He took a moment to look around the room, since when they'd arrived earlier it had just been to drop off their luggage before running back out to catch a boat tour. In the middle of the open room was a low table, with a few cushions arranged on the floor around it. A small TV sat on a bureau in one corner, and their luggage was an unceremonious heap against one wall. The main room branched into a cramped kitchen on one side, with a stove and a fridge, and the one normal door opened onto an equally cramped bathroom. The main room's other wall was lined with more sliding doors. Eren went over to one and pulled it open, expecting to find the bedroom, but there was only a stack of towels and a few folded robes. Closet space.

“Where are we supposed to sleep?” He asked with a frown. The couple had been in Japan for a little over a week already, but they'd stayed in a hotel in another city until now. Sure it had been more expensive and it meant that they had to eat out every day... but still. It had a proper bed.

“Oh, this is more traditional lodging, so we'll be sleeping on _futon,_ ” Armin explained, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Oh, right. You did mention that,” Eren remembered.

“They should be...” Armin slid open one of the other closet doors. “Ah, here they are. Could you help me move this table out of the way?”

“Yeah, of course.” They stepped over to the table. Eren gripped the frame beneath the cloth that hung down around the edges and they lifted together. It was heavier than it looked, and as they walked it over to one edge of the room an electric cord trailed out behind it.

“This is a _kotatsu_! _”_ Armin realized when he saw it. He caught Eren's quizzical glance. “It heats up underneath, to keep your legs warm,” he elaborated. “We shouldn't really need it in the spring, but maybe we can plug it in tomorrow... I've always wanted to try one.”

“Then let's,” Eren encouraged with a small grin. Armin had been brimming with excitement for weeks in anticipation of this trip. He loved watching those blue eyes light up with recognition or curiosity as he soaked up their new surroundings, all the unfamiliar things, the strange foods, the foreign voices. Eren was so glad he was fortunate enough to witness the rapt attention on Armin's face as he focused in understanding a language he'd spent so much time studying, fortunate enough to feel the cool hand grasping at his own or tugging at his sleeve to get his attention. He loved hearing Armin explain things, enthusiasm coloring his voice. Eren would go just about anywhere if it meant getting to see his husband so happy, so passionate in the exploration they'd dreamed about for years.

Armin was hauling a large shape out of the closet now, and when Eren went to help he saw it was a thin mattress. They unfolded it onto the floor in the empty space where the table had been and Eren looked at it a bit skeptically. It didn't look very comfortable. Out came a second one, and then they busied themselves setting up the sheets that had been provided. Pushed together, the two narrow mattresses were about the width of a double bed, and took up most of the now-cramped floor space.

“This saves a lot more space than a bed,” Armin remarked, surveying their handiwork.

“I guess,” Eren conceded. “But wouldn't it be kind of a pain to put it away every morning and take it back out every night?” He stepped awkwardly around the obstacle to rummage through their bags for pajamas.

“I imagine you can do it pretty quickly if you're used to it,” his husband pointed out, lowering himself to sit cross-legged at the foot of the mattresses. “As for us, we probably won't be spending a huge amount of time in here. So maybe we can just sort of... fold them over to make some space in the mornings.”

“Works for me.” He tossed Armin's pajamas to him and shook his own out of their tightly-rolled bundle. 

They got ready for bed in a companionable silence, the exhaustion of the day kicking in as they began to wind down. It had been a bit of a hectic one. After checking out of their hotel early in the morning, they'd missed their train after taking a wrong turn on the way to the station – damn this country's lack of proper street signs. Navigating via recognizable shops was not a reliable method, as it turned out. Luckily, they'd managed to catch up to a train on a slightly slower timetable by hopping on an express line headed in the same direction. They'd reached their destination about half an hour later than originally planned, and had to rush to check in to their new lodgings before the rest of the day's itinerary was completely thrown off. They somehow managed to salvage it, but practically running the distance from the station to their new place,  _while_ hauling all their luggage, had really taken a lot out of both of them. It was a testament to Armin's zeal that he managed to soldier through the rest of the day, and enjoy it as much as he did. Eren marveled at the fact that this was the same kid who used to get so tired out by their last-period gym class that he'd sometimes sleep through the whole bus ride home.

“Ready?” Eren asked, finger poised over the light switch after they'd both finished their nightly routine.

“Yep.” Armin snuggled down into his futon, tugging the extra blankets up to his chest. Eren flicked the light off and stepped over slowly, careful not to trip on anything as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. When his knee hit the mattress, he realized that it was surprisingly dense, despite how thin it was. He couldn't feel the floor through it at all, like he had sort of expected to.

“This is surprisingly comfortable,” he murmured, sliding over until he bumped into Armin. The other man shifted to accommodate him, their bodies lining up back-to-chest as naturally as puzzle pieces. Eren looped an arm around Armin's waist and buried his nose in his hair, breathing in the lingering scent of hotel shampoo beneath the sweat worked up over the day, and the light hint of salt from the afternoon's sea breeze.

Armin agreed with a contented hum. “Good thing, since we'll be here for another week,” he murmured back. “I set an alarm for eight-thirty. Is that okay?”

“Hrrrrgh, so early,” Eren grumbled playfully against the back of his neck, making him giggle and twist his head away.

“Okay, well,” he managed through his stifled laughter. “You can sleep until nine, then. I need to run out for breakfast ingredients anyway, since we didn't get anything tonight. I saw a grocery store right around the corner from here.”

“Can you make scrambled eggs?”

“If you want eggs, why don't I try making omurice for you?” Armin goaded.

“Fuck no.” Eren rose to the bait immediately. “I'm sick of eating rice with every meal. I'm so happy we have a kitchen here.”

“Yeah. It'll be less expensive this way, too.”

“You just want more money to spend on your anime stuff,” he teased.

Armin groaned. “There's like... an anime  _plaza_ just a few stops away from here. Do you know how hard it was for me today to not just give up on our plans and spend the whole day there?” He sighed.

“Could'a fooled me. You practically dragged me back out to make that boat ride.”

“That's because if I went, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself. We'd have to camp out here until we go home because I'd spend all our money.”

“Nah, you're more responsible than that.”

“I've never been faced with whole stores devoted to my favorite shows,” Armin replied grimly. “Who knows how well my responsibility will hold up to that? Best to wait until our free day right before we leave, just to be safe.”

“If you say so.” Eren smiled into his hair. “But I have faith in you.” As much as Armin joked about it, Eren knew he'd never blow all their funds – not when it had taken so long to save up enough time and money to be able to get the most out of this trip.

Armin must have been reflecting on something similar. Eren felt a cool hand slip over his own where it rested loosely against Armin's chest, soft fingers working between his knuckles.

“I'm so glad we were able to do this,” the smaller man murmured. “I know you don't get as excited over this stuff as I do, but... it really means a lot to me that you wanted to come anyway.”

“Armin.” Eren knew his husband too well to miss the unspoken apology in his words. “Just because I don't usually think much about foreign architecture or magical girl museums and stuff doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing it together. I do.” His fingers curled over Armin's, and their wedding bands clinked gently together. Alone that kind of thing would be really boring, but Armin could breathe life and fascination into anything. “I love being here with you. I love being _anywhere_ with you.”

There was silence for a few moments, the pad of a cool thumb stroking idly over his knuckle. Then Armin shifted again, turning beneath Eren's arm to face him. Their legs tangled comfortably beneath the warm blankets and their breath mingled in the fraction of an inch between them. In the faint glow of the streetlamp through the thin curtain, Eren could see Armin's eyes fixed on him.

“I love being anywhere with you, too,” he breathed, and closed the gap. 

Eren's eyes slipped shut as their lips meshed softly together. They fell into a slow, easy rhythm, mouths pulling gently against each other, parting and catching and holding. It stayed chaste, but the warm current of affection sent pleasant waves rippling through Eren's core. He held Armin close against him, palm flat between his shoulder blades, felt both their steady heartbeats resounding through his chest. He gave a soft, contented hum, enjoying the flavor of chapstick and mint toothpaste and the taste of Armin's lips beneath it.

They drew slightly apart after what seemed like a long while.

“We should probably get some rest,” Armin murmured sleepily, his fingers tracing soothing patterns along the top of Eren's spine.

“Yeah,” he agreed, suppressing a yawn. As much as he would love to do this all night, his exhaustion was making him heavy and he could feel his consciousness threatening to wander off into sleep. And having Armin warm and breathing against him lulled him into such a relaxed state. He could probably fall asleep anywhere, like this. Eren cuddled even closer into him, if that were even possible. “'Night,” he mumbled against soft bangs. “Love you.”

“Good night,” came the soft reply. “I love you, too.” Eren could hear the smile even through his drowsy voice.

Armin gave a peaceful sigh, his chest swelling gently against Eren's. Together they drifted off to sleep, in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar country, but very much at home.

 

**Author's Note:**

> God I miss Japan.


End file.
